A mess from the past
by lostinprocrastination
Summary: Seriously, no need to throw eggs at me, I know I can't think of a good title to save my life! /o\ Aaaaaaanyway, this comes from a prompt from blancacsouat on Tumblr: "Emma and Hook brings another person from the past: Graham and he is trying to seduce Emma again. Obviously, Killian is very jealous."
1. Chapter 1

"Swan?"

"Hook!"

"What the hell are you doing, you're depriving me of a dashing rescue!"

"Sorry - the only one who saves me is me!"

_Not that a little help doesn't come in handy sometimes_, Emma thinks to herself. She was very suspicious when that nondescript black guard tossed her a wire, but when her cellmate told her he'd been bringing her food she relaxed and used the tool to pick their locks. Being a part of Regina's guard was a job, after all. They couldn't all be as ruthless as the Evil Queen.

The man had disappeared as soon as he had arrived, in no small part because he may be a good soul among vultures, but he couldn't make that known if he wanted to keep his life. Emma wishes he'd taken off his helmet, though, just so she knew the face of the man she would be forever indebted to - even if she was never gonna see him again. Then she remembers he hadn't seen her face either, at least not her real one, and shrugs.

In any case, she's not planning on telling Killian any of this. She's seen what he's done to _himself_ just hours before, and besides the last thing she wants now is to plant any further doubt in his mind or heart talking to him about kind strangers who have helped her before he got a chance to. She doesn't really know yet what she's gonna do once they get out of this mess - _if_ they get out of this mess - but everything they've been going through has been changing her and if she knows anything at this moment is that he doesn't deserve it.

But it's not the time to figure that all out. Now they need to get the hell out of these dungeons and go find her mother.

* * *

They're trapped inside Rumplestiltskin's impenetrable vault and she's just poured her heart out to him about how Storybrooke is her home and how much she's been missing her parents. She looks at him with tears in her eyes and he's actually _smiling_, but he isn't making fun of her - he's happy, so she can't help but smile herself. Maybe this staying locked up thing doesn't have to be 100% horrifying after all (_wait, what?_).

"What?"

"Look down!"

She does and the white light bursting from her hands blinds her momentarily.

"I'd say you got your magic back. Now...shall we go?"

She grabs the wand and does her best to concentrate and recreate the time portal to go back home, but something seems to be blocking it.

"Don't look so defeated, love", Killian immediately starts. "Isn't this vault supposed to contain all that mysterious dark magic even the crocodile himself doesn't know how to deal with?"

"Sure, but last time I checked my magic wasn't dark", she sighs, burying her head in her hands.

"No, not quite", he points out, "but Zelena's was. That's _her_ spell you're trying to recreate after all."

"That actually makes sense, I guess, but how does that help us?"

"Zelena's magic won't work here, but yours might..."

It takes her a second to realize what he means, and when she does he's already smirking at her knowingly, a look she shoots right back at him.

"Okay then, let's do this! C'mon, grab the woman!"

"Speaking of ourselves in the third person now, are we, Swan? Sure!"

"Hey hey hey", she shouts when he starts walking towards her. She tries to fake some anger but is already laughing. "The woman who's unconscious on the floor, mister funny man!"

"Can't blame a man for trying, can you?"

She shakes her head at the adorably sheepish look on his face and thinks that _no, she can't_. And she won't. Not anymore, no matter where - or when - they are.

Once the woman's hunched over his left shoulder, Emma holds his hand and closes her eyes. When she opens them, they're outside, on the same spot they landed when they first went through the portal a couple of days ago.

"See what you can do when you believe in your power, love? Messing with hot drinks or my hook is nothing in the face of all that prowess!"

"Maybe not, but it's still fun", she replies with a mischievous smile. Reaching for the wand, she realizes their hands are still entangled, but doesn't try to break free. "Okay, then! Let's do this!"

As soon as she raises the wand, a net raises from the ground and entraps them, much like she'd heard their father telling he'd done to her mother so many times. "What the hell...?"

"A man can't even hide from the Evil Queen's black guard without some witch trying to draw attention, now can he?" The man's voice - a very familiar one, in fact - comes from under them. "Oh, and is this the infamous Captain Hook? This could be either my luckiest or worst day yet!"

"Try the worst, mate! You have no idea what's happening here. Release us from this primitive trappings _now_!" He then turns to Emma, who looks like she's seen a ghost, and softens his voice. "Are you alright, Swan? Have these buffoon's ropes hurt you?"

Well, no, she's not alright, because she _has_ seen a ghost. Sort of. Something tells her the man on the ground is the guard who'd helped her escape from Regina's dungeon.

And that man is Graham Humbert.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: I have no idea how to add text or send replies to guest reviews, so to the person who's asked whether this was a CS or Gremma story: it's CS. Check all my other stuff and my follows and you'll see I could never go any other way. You're a Gremma fan so this isn't gonna be the story for you. I'm sorry._**

* * *

"Swan? SWAN?" At this point, Killian's forgotten all about his bickering with their captor and is focused solely on Emma's state.

"Hey, lady, would you please stop pretending to be catatonic and explain what's going on? Because Captain bloody Hook, as expected, is all empty threats and not much help!"

"Oh bugger off, you sodding git, can't you see this isn't pretending?" If Emma were conscious of her surroundings right now she would be smiling at how offended Killian is on her behalf but never even flinched when _he _was the subject of Graham's harsh words. Also at the way he softly strokes her cheek to bring her back to reality instead of just shaking her. "Please, love, what's going on?"

"Oh, that is just _great_", says the man down on the ground. "You kidnap a woman, traumatizes her and _now_ you wanna act like a gentleman?"

"Well excuse me, but I'm not the one who has her up in the air inside a net trap, now am I? And gods, no, I haven't kidnapped her! We're together!" He sighs at his choice of words. _If only_.

"Maybe not her, but that unconscious woman draped over your shoulder sure screams 'kidnapped' to me!"

"Wha...I...Um..." It's Killian's stuttering that suddenly snaps Emma back to business and prompts her to cut in.

"Gra...uh..._Huntsman_."

Now both men are looking at her in confusion, and the one on the ground instinctively takes a step back even though Emma's still trapped above him.

"You know who I am?"

"Yes. You don't know me, not yet. My name is Emma Swan, and I am Snow White's daughter."

She knows she shouldn't have said this, that it's going to change too much, but she isn't under Rumplestiltskin's glamour spell anymore so he would recognize her later anyway. Maybe as soon as the moment she got locked up when she first arrived in Storybrooke, what with the way things happened between them. The way things were still going to happen. She doesn't even know anymore.

"Oh, _riiiight_", he responds in a sarcastic tone. "That girl who's barely in her twenties. That Snow White! Okay then, let me just cut this net and let you go!"

"I'm serious! I know this is hard to swallow, but we're from the future. A really powerful dark witch conjured a spell that opened a time portal, we accidentally went through it and we're just trying to get back home. I swear."

"Let's say I believe your preposterous tale. You said 'a powerful dark witch' - the Queen?"

"Her sister, actually." Boy, that still sounds weird.

"She doesn't have any siblings", he says sternly.

"Long story. So, um, we really weren't trying to get in your way, I was actually attempting to recreate the portal so we can get the hell out of here. So, you know, if you would just let us out so we can go, that'd be great."

"Well I know that other woman is _not_ from the future." So it _was _him helping them in the dungeons. Dammit. "How do I know you and the pirate are not working for the Queen and just recapturing escapees? Including me?"

"Because I was the one in the cell next to her." When his eyes widen, she shakes her head. "Glamour spell. Thank you for the wire by the way." She notices how his expression softens as he sees the sincerity in her gratitude. "Uh, listen, I've already told you way more than I should have so please let us go before we change anything else and ruin our timeline for good!"

He raises his bow and points an arrow to the rope that's holding his captives up, but before he shoots he stops. "Wait a second...how do we meet?"

Boy, she wasn't expecting this. "Oh! We...uh...don't! My mother's just told me a lot about you!"

"Nice try, _Emma_" - there's that sarcastic tone again - "if that's really your name. You said I didn't know you _yet_."

"Yeah, well...she really likes to draw, my mom. She's very talented, so it feels like we know each other." She knows she's not making much sense and her weak smile isn't helping her case, but it seems enough for him to stop pressing her and next thing she knows she's falling to the ground with a thump. Before the Huntsman (_this__is not Graham_, she has to remind herself) cuts them free, however, he takes the wand from her hand, as well as Killian's sword. At their protest, he simply says "Just so you don't get any ideas. You're all coming with me now."

* * *

He leads them to a hut about an hour into the forest. The woman still hasn't regained her consciousness and Emma checks on her a few times to make sure she's breathing. Killian hasn't said anything since she'd started talking to this huntsman fellow, seemingly deep in thought.

As soon as they arrive at their destination, the man binds their captives by their arms and wrists around a thick wooden pillar that occupies most of what's supposed to be a living room. He then binds each of their three pairs of legs together as well. Emma's eyes follow as he boils some sort of soup on a cauldron and feeds her and Killian each a bowl - not before having one himself in front of them to prove it's safe. With the other woman still unconscious, he declares he'll just feed her when she wakes up and disappears through a door frame, certainly to get some sleep.

When the man doesn't come back for a while, Killian decides it's safe to break his silence, as their companion certainly isn't going to be listening in on them. He has questions of his own.

"Swan...how _do _you know this man? You never said. Did you meet him when you were in the Enchanted Forest last time? When you and I first met?"

"No. He was sent to Storybrooke by Regina's curse."

"Oh I get why you wouldn't wanna get into _that _subject then! But why have _I _never met him? It's a small enough town! Unless he's an odd loner who lives isolated in the woods. It fits, actually."

"He wasn't. He was the sheriff."

Oh. _Oh_. "Well, what happened?"

_Oh god, Killian, stop, just stop! _Thankfully for her, this is the moment the woman chooses to wake up. With no time to think, Emma uses the fact that she's still slow and groggy to try to get closer to her and touch her cheek with her forehead. She concentrates on her magic for a second and the woman falls into deep sleep.

"Bloody hell, Swan, if you could just do that why didn't you knock the man out? Is there anything you are not telling me?"

_Lots_, she thinks bitterly, but there's actually one thing she remembers that startles her. She somehow finds it in her to make all the rope around them disappear and sneaks into his quarters. She finds the wand and the sword and points Killian's weapon at the sleeping man's neck.

"I know Regina has your heart, Huntsman", she whispers, just loud enough so he wakes up, "so give me one good reason not to think she's sent you to spy on us or I'll slit your throat right now." She knows she'd never be able to actually harm him, but hell, she needs to at least _seem _menacing.

"Because if that were the case, Miss Swan", he says calmly, rising from the bed at once, "you'd already be dead."

He actually has a point, so she lowers the blade.

"And if I'd been stupid enough to attempt an escape leaving my heart in her possession, _I _would have been killed long before you three ever got to where my trap was."

"Wait...you have your heart?" Her incredulity stems from the fact that this little episode was _definitely_ not in the book. She supposes it couldn't contain every single second of everyone's lives, but wouldn't it be an important story to be there? Gosh, have they really changed that much already? Is their future still in danger?

"Right here inside my chest. Feel it" he says, placing the back of her hand, which is still holding the sword, over it.

Yup, something's beating in there. She closes her eyes and shakes her head in relief, not even noticing the way he's looking at her. "Yeah, well, sorry about this, but at least now we both know we aren't double-crossing each other."

"True. You're very brave and clever and clearly good with weapons. What are you doing with that pirate?"

"I'm actually in the process of figuring that out", she says with a fond smile. "What I can tell you at this second is that he's come to be the best friend I've ever had."

"I see. I see."

"Well anyway, we seem to have sorted everything out, so that's good. Except..." Her relief turns into concern again. "Look, I'm going to have to try to make you forget everything that's just happened, but as far as I know we would need a potion for that, so it will probably not work. We need to go before you learn anything else that might jeopardize the future."

He takes a few steps closer to her and she can see Killian sneaking inside the room from his hiding spot. "And why would I want to forget you?"

She rolls her eyes because _men. _All of them.

Obviously that's the last drop for Killian. "Because you're not even supposed to know about her, mate. Now shall we, Swan? I never really liked this damn realm in the first place."

"Fine by me. Did you check the book? Is it okay for us to go?"

"Yes, everything seems to be right on track still. Where's the wand?"

She tosses him his sword and reaches in her back pocket for it. "Right here! Where's our friend?"

"Right...", he starts as he crouches down to grab her, "...here!"

"Okay then!" She raises the wand and closes her eyes in concentration. The portal opens within seconds and Killian is the first to go through, their mysterious companion hunched over his shoulder.

Emma takes one last look at Graham - no, no, the Huntsman. "Goodbye. Thank you for all the help, honestly, and sorry for all the trouble we've caused. Now listen", she starts, turning her once again genuine gratitude into a serious expression, "I will try my best to get you not to remember any of this, but if it doesn't work... Just please don't do anything with what you've seen or what we've told you. You have to believe me that it's important for the future of us all."

"But I don't want to forget!"

"You have to. Look at me, and help me."

She captures his eyes with hers and concentrates all of her energy on making everything that happened over the past few hours leave his mind. He frowns and she immediately turns her face away from him and goes, feeling satisfied with herself because to her it means he's just seeing some random blonde woman jump through a portal.


	3. Chapter 3

She immediately falls to the dirty ground of a barn. What a relief. There's a hand waiting to help her up and she promptly grabs it, but hey, is it a _left _hand...?

"WHAT THE HELL? WHAT DID YOU DO?" No no no, this can't be happening, no!

"The way you talked about the Queen having my heart", explains the Huntsman, "made me think she was somehow going to get it back. I wasn't gonna take that chance."

Not only her magic had failed, but they've just possibly caused everything they know to change. Emma's hysterical and she feels that her state is completely validated. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU MAY HAVE JUST CHANGED THE ENTIRE COURSE OF HISTORY! WE TOLD YOU!"

Killian isn't quite as intense as Emma, but that doesn't mean he's any less angry at the man. "This isn't a joke, mate, you were not supposed to be here! Whatever possessed you to..."

"THIS IS A DISASTER! WHAT THE HELL!"

Emma starts to hyperventilate and Killian forces his breath and brain to slow down. They can't both lose control right now. He does decide to ignore the _stupid, stupid git_ for the time being, though, because he knows even one look at the man will make him lose his cool again.

"Swan, listen to me" he says, grabbing her shoulders. "You're still here. The curse still happened otherwise you couldn't have recreated a portal to a town that never existed in the first place. Look!"

He moves his gaze and his hand all over their surroundings and her eyes follow, making her realize they're inside the very same barn they'd disappeared from a few days before. Her breath evens out and he knows he's got her.

"The book is right here in my satchel, which means your boy is probably not too far." And now for the final proof. Deep breaths. "Now we just need to check it for anything we may need to know before going back into town and then it's all going to be fine. What do you say?"

"Okay", she says, her voice still shaky.

"Okay."

They only allow themselves to breathe again when they reach the heavy volume's last page and see nothing really substantial had changed. There was only a mention of Regina being furious about having had one of her hearts stolen for two seconds but then she just went back to going after Snow White.

Emma sighs in relief and instinctively leans into Killian. He holds her head and kisses her forehead with a smile. "See? Everything is fine, love." _No thanks to that buffoon,_ he thinks to himself, without ever losing focus on his Swan.

Before long, though, something in her suddenly snaps, and immediately she stands up. "Not necessarily."

"What are you talking about, love?"

"Everything was fine until the curse, that's where the book ends", she explains, "but after Henry brought me to Storybrooke everything was fair game!"

"Well, Swan, I guess there's only one way to figure this all out", he says, standing up himself and looking at the barn's door.

"But what if everything's different? I'm scared, Killian."

There she is again using his real name without any reason behind it. One day he'll let her know just how much it means to him.

He steps closer. "You're the bravest person I know, Emma. You can do it."

"I don't have to do it alone though...do I?"

She's all whispers and vulnerability and pleading eyes and _gods above,_ he will never be able to deny that woman anything.

"Not anymore." His simple yet so meaningful answer causes her to give him a teary smile and he's never felt so close to her. They still need to deal with their two companions though, so he reluctantly changes his tune. "But we can't go together and leave those two free to walk around town without some proper talking to, can we?"

"You're right. Lucky for us my cellmate is still under my spell and Graham won't mind being tied up in here for a while because he _knows_ he screwed up!"

A confused Huntsman speaks for the first time in a while. "Who's Graham?"

Emma doesn't have time for technicalities. "It's you! Shut up."

She's about to magically tie him and the woman up when a phone starts ringing with a familiar ringtone - hers. She follows the sound and picks it up. It's _David_.

"Hey!" She was never as happy to hear her father's voice as in this very moment.

"Sweetheart, where are you? Was Hook able to reach you? We couldn't get a hold of you since you stormed out and your mother and I were worried, so was Henry!"

"Stormed out?"

"Yes...after Hook let slip you were still planning to go back to New York- Emma, are you okay?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm sorry, I'm fine! I am so, so fine! Are you at Granny's?"

"Of course we are, do you think we wouldn't wait for you to come back to announce your brother's name? Have you hit your head? Are you sure you don't have a concussion or something!"

"Oh no no no, don't worry about it, I'm fine!" She _really_ was. "I'll be there in fifteen!"

She hangs up and looks at a smirking Killian. "Go, Swan! I'll deal with these two and we'll be right behind. Go see your parents."

She looks at him tenderly, mouths him a _thank you_ and quickly disappears outside.

"I guess that's what best friends are for", he mutters to himself, not sure whether to be happy that she holds him in such high regard or disheartened that she'll likely never see him as anything more. Right now it's a bit of both.

* * *

Emma gets to the diner and everything happens like she expects it to. She's home, with her family, her mom and dad, her son and her baby brother (Neal - what a touching tribute). With her friends. There's just something missing - or rather _someone_.

She finds him right outside, sitting at one of the tables on the porch. He's not alone, though. He's flanked by their two reluctant travel companions, who seem calm enough considering their situation.

"Hey, why don't you come inside? It's freezing out here!"

"Wouldn't want to intrude on the family moment, love", says Killian, almost apologetic.

"Why stop now?" They both smile quietly at her quip, and then she motions to the other two. "You too, let's go. Don't wanna have you going through a freaking time portal only to freeze to death! C'mon."

They get up and move towards the door. Emma walks behind Killian and strokes his arm, the intimacy making his whole body stiffen. He looks to check that this is really happening, this is really her being so openly affectionate to him, but his ensuing smile fades as soon as he raises his head and sees she's looking at the Huntsman apprehensively.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma keeps still, eyes locked on the Huntsman. Their party of four is effectively blocking the diner's door, so to try to avoid whatever it is Emma's worried about Killian speaks to get her back to reality.

"Swan, what is it? Do we go in or not?"

"_We_ do. Not our friend here though." The apprehension in her eyes make way to annoyance as she turns to the Huntsman.

"Really? You want to leave me here in this cold? Why? "

"Regina's about to come in here at any moment, and I do not want a scene."

"A scene? So giving a horrible woman who rips hearts, kills people like bugs and is obsessed with ruining the life of one of the best people I've ever known a piece of my mind is now making a scene?"

"She's not that person anymore and yes, that's making a scene, and that's why you're staying outside."

"Does she stay outside too, then?" His protest is now geared towards Emma's cell companion, making him face away from Emma and look at the brunette instead. "When we were talking just now you seemed like you had things to say to Regina too! Or was it just to make conversation?"

"This is all really strange and I have to believe that what the woman who saved me from certain death is saying is true, that the Queen isn't evil anymore. I'm at least giving her the benefit of the doubt."

It's the first time Emma's heard her speak since right before she clubbed her with a wooden stick a couple of days ago. Strange indeed.

"Convinced yet, Graham?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

Her voice softens when she thinks of everything she knows about him. It isn't much, and none of it consists of what she would classify as a good life. "You were raised by wolves, right? Do you even have a name or do you just go by 'the Huntsman'?"

"Just Huntsman. It's fine, it's who I am."

"Well...Graham Humbert was a good man" she says, almost overcome by emotion. "He was the sheriff of this town, and that's who you are to me, so."

"I was supposed to have been brought here by the Dark Curse", he says, closing his eyes with the realization of what Emma's telling him means.

"That's...right." After frowning in confusion for a second, she looks to Killian for confirmation that this was indeed one of their topics of conversation while she was with her parents and Henry inside. As silently as her questioning, he confirms with a nod.

"But since I left the Enchanted Forest before Regina cast it, doesn't that mean Graham never existed?"

"In many ways, yeah, but I still remember him."

"Only you, huh? I like that." He cracks a smile and it's Killian's turn to frown, not even noticing how Emma dismisses his line with a quick eyebrow raise.

"Sure. Well then, we're going inside and you stay here."

"Okay...?"

"No, no okay, you don't have to agree to it, I'm telling you."

"Well, then I guess I'm staying!" He throws his arms up in the air, making sure she knows he doesn't agree to their arrangement.

That little action earns him a death glare, and Emma immediately chastises herself from being so hard on him. Everything he's been doing - even going through the portal after being told about the likely terrible consequences - comes out of a deep instinct of survival, mixed with a little bit of pride. Not only she understands it, it's something she can actually identify with. No, she can't blame him for any of that. What's extremely unsettling is how he seems to be drawn to her, much like he was when he _was_ Graham. His unfamiliar forwardness, which she supposes has to do with the fact that this time his heart is beating in his chest where it belongs, makes it easier for her to dismiss him; on the other hand, it's an uncomfortably ever-present reminder of what happened upon her arrival in Storybrooke and the part she played on the sheriff's demise. She'll be damned if the memory of him kissing her like she was the key to his very existence and then losing his life in her arms isn't shaking her.

* * *

After a few moments inside, Killian points out that leaving the Huntsman on the porch would only put him on display for Regina to see as she made her way to the diner. He's right, so Emma asks him to bring the man to the building's back exit. Thinking back to something he said earlier, she decides to take her mother there as well.

"Mom, could you leave baby Neal with dad for a second and follow me?"

"O...kay! What for?"

"You'll see."

Just a few moments after arriving at their destination, the women can hear the men coming, bickering about "picking a bloody place already, I'm not an old rug" and "we're just trying to protect you, but feel free to face the queen's wrath, mate". As soon as the Huntsman sees who's waiting for them, he completely changes his demeanor: his eyes fill with tears, as if he realizes his life had meaning; that everything that happened because he was incapable of murdering a young and kind princess in cold blood was worth it because there she was, alive and well, in front of him.

"Snow White!"

"You!" Snow isn't any less emotional. "I never thought I'd see you again! I owe you my life, and my family and-"

He points to Emma. "She's really your daughter then?"

"Yes, yes she is!" Snow's proud smile makes Emma blush a little. "I know it doesn't look possible, but there was a curse and oh, there's just so much to fill you in!"

"Well then, sounds like you two have a lot to catch up," says Emma, "so Killian and I are gonna get back inside and leave you two to it."

"Okay, sweetie! Just let your father know where I am, alright?"

"Sure thing", she says trying to hide the tears. "See you in a bit!"

She turns on her heels and opens the door, with Killian right behind.

"That was a nice gesture, love" he comments as soon as they're out of earshot. "From what I gather these two mean a lot to each other."

"Yeah", she says with a sincere smile, having had time to recompose, "plus knowing my mother she'll be talking his ears out for at least half an hour with everything he's missed, which gives Regina plenty of time to get here and me, to prepare her for the inevitable encounter!"

"Oh, that is positively _devious_! I would have _never_ expected such a thing from you!"

His teasing makes her smile, and she responds in likeness. "Weren't you the one who said I'd make one hell of a pirate?"

"Indeed, Swan", he laughs, "indeed."


End file.
